Mixtape
by Liesel Meminger
Summary: A challenge from Mr. Schue is supposed to make all of them bond – but no one’s too happy about it. Puckleberry, mostly.
1. The challenge

**Summary:** A challenge from Mr. Schue is supposed to make all of them bond – but no one's too happy about it.

**Discl****aimer:** A long time ago, I played poker with a man. His name was Ryan Murphy. I was feeling lucky – I had been winning up until then. But then he made the ultimate proposition: if I won that next round, not only would I have the rights to all those cheesy characters he had created for some TV show that promised to be a big hit, but I would also be proposed to by a very hot guy with a mohwak. If I lost, I would also loose the car I had won earlier that evening. Today, I am alone, writing Glee fanfiction, and I walk back home from school everyday. I think you can imagine how that last game went. I haven't played poker ever since.

**A.N.:**This is a multi-chaptered fic that just popped into my mind seven minutes ago. I'll need your guys help with this – I'm still too new at Glee fanfiction. Oh, and I tried my best with the "Rachel-talk", but I would love any advice on it. Puckleberry all the way, as always.

It was just another day at the Glee club rehearsal room. Kurt and Mercedes sat in the back, whispering, Santana and Brittany sat just beside them, but weren't paying attention on the conversation; Santana was patiently explaining to the other cheerio what 'annually' meant (It seems Brittany had been shocked that Mrs. Smith, the Geography teacher, would dare to say _'such a dirty word'_ in front of the students). Finn had Quinn by his side, but was choosing to ignore her as he pretended to read a book (It's Finn we are talking about. He once said he had never read the McKinley Yearbook because there were _'just too many hard words'_). Tina and Artie sat together, in a comfortable silence. Matt and Mike were having a thumb war in the first row – Rachel seemed to be really amused by said war, but soon realized that the boys could do it for hours and never get bored, very much unlike her. Puck sat isolated from everyone else, lazily strumming his guitar. The whole babygate drama was long past them, and New Directions was now able to be what they once were: just a group of losers united by the love of music, and the need of a spotlight (that one would be Rachel).

Secretly, each member enjoyed the moments before Mr. Schue walked in and rehearsal started. In those few minutes, they would relax and let anything that could worry them slip away from their minds – and that's why everyone could feel the atmosphere in the room was always much lighter than in the rest of the school.

As soon as Mr. Schue walked in, all conversations stopped suddenly. That was a first – the teacher usually had to clap his hands several times to be able to get their attention, as well as calling their names over and over again, and even threatening to call Puck's mother once (that had been the only effective way to get the boy to stop fake wrestling with Matt). But this time, every single student in that room saw in Mr. Schuester one thing they did not like: a wide, brilliant smile plastered on his face. They knew that could either mean he had just been with Ms. Pillsbury (and knowing that the redhead had found out about Mr. Schue's 'encounter' with Shelby, the Vocal Adrenaline coach, they crossed that option out – how did they know these things, anyway?), or that he had had an idea. And 'idea' here can easily be translated into trouble.

"Hello, guys" Mr. Schuester said, and rubbed his hands together. That was the world signal for 'evil plan in the making'.

"Hello, Mr. Schuester" said Rachel. Everyone else just grunted. Rachel did not seem to understand that there was definitely something in store for them. How clueless can someone be?

"I've came up with an idea for your next week's assignment" His smile was wider now – Kurt seemed to be on the verge of tears already. "First, let me divide you in pairs"

The room let out a breath in relief, and Kurt even smiled as he held Mercedes' hand, letting her know they would be doing the assignment together. The motion did not go unnoticed by Mr. Schue, who said:

"No, no, no, no, no. Wouldn't it be too easy to do this with your best friend? Why don't we try working with someone we don't usually spend much time with?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Schue, but we tried that before, and it didn't really turn out that well" Surprisingly, it was Quinn, and not Rachel, who spoke first.

"Yeah" Puck started, and pointing to Mercedes, continued "Last time, I got stuck with Chocolate Thunder over there, and we all know how _that_ worked out"

Mercedes just rolled her eyes.

"Guys, guys" Mr. Schue said, as everyone started losing their focus, too busy pointing out everything that could go wrong "I have everything planned out already, and nothing you say will change anything about it. So you can either just stay quiet and let me say who you'll be paired with, or you can complain for hours, and still hear it"

All the noise died down after a moment, and when Mr. Schue decided they were behaving properly, he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and started calling out their names.

"Alright. Tina and Finn, Mercedes and Mike, Rachel and Puck, Quinn and Matt, Santana and Artie, Brittany and Kurt"

Immediately after he was done speaking, Rachel Berry, who had been extremely quiet, shot up from her seat and opened her mouth (for those who were familiar with her, Rachel opening her mouth could also, in some situations, mean "run for your life and your mental health").

"Mr. Schuester, while I do find it extremely thoughtful of you to constantly remind us to not only refrain ourselves from judging other people but also to always be open to embrace and accept diversity, I don't think it's necessary for us to work with someone we are not acquainted with, especially when we are talking about something as intimate as music" Her speech left Finn staring at her with dull eyes. He really did try hard, but the poor boy simply could not understand Rachel.

"What she's saying, or I think that's what she said, is that is just so much easier to work with our friends" said Kurt, a hint of desperation in his voice. He really didn't think he could put up with Brittany for a whole week. The girl was very sweet, but, in Kurt's opinion, she was the blonde that all blonde jokes were based on.

"You don't even know what your assignment is!" Some students started wondering what it would take to wipe that smile off Mr. Schue's face "Ok, here's what you're going to do. First, each one of you will select a song, any song at all, no restrictions. But it has to be a song you like, one of your favorites. Your partner will have to perform that song, alone"

Groans could be heard through the room. Puck suddenly realized what it meant to be Rachel's partner: Broadway.

"But please, keep in mind that you _do not _want to embarrass your partner, and, of course, you have to take in consideration each other's vocal ranges" Mr. Schue looked pointedly at Rachel and then at Mercedes "Your partner is free to arrange the song as they want. That was step one. Step two is why I paired you all up in couples" That little detail had gone unnoticed by them until now "You'll also have to perform, together this time, a love song. Not necessarily a ballad, if that's not your style, but a song that can be sung by both of you, and that speaks of love, obviously"

It took a moment for them to snap out of their shock. It was Finn who spoke first "Mr. Schue… why does it have to be a love song?"

But it was not Mr. Schue who answered.

"Love songs are always a crowd pleaser, Finn, no matter what genre they are.

Besides, having a love duet will give the public the idea that the performers are romantically involved – which results in a bigger emotion connection to what's happening on stage. I, for one, Mr. Schue, think your idea couldn't have been better"

Mercedes smirked and turned to Puck "Bet you want my Thunder now"

"Alright, now that you all know what to do, I advise you start working on it. Direct each other through the first step – you want your partner to _feel _the song as much as you do, and understand why it's one of your favorites. In two weeks, we will meet in the auditorium for our little show. Have fun!"

Rachel turned to Puck, a bright smile on her face. He stared at her, and he hoped his eyes showed that he rather eat his foot than sing Rachel's favorite Broadway show tune in front of everyone else.

Slowly, everyone else started making their way toward their partners, uncomfortably talking about the assignment.

"Hello, Noah. How are you today? Let me just say I think we are going to work greatly together; we have just enough differences to make this quite the entertaining performance. I can't wait to see what you'll choose for me, and I think I already have the perfect song for you in mind. Of course, I can't say that for sure just yet, since I plan on doing an extensive research of all my songbooks, just to be sure I didn't miss anything that your limited but beautiful vocal abilities can cover. And, well, it also has to be something you would enjoy singing, for we all know there's probably nothing worse than to perform something we don't feel comfortable with. Have you started thinking about what I'll be singing?" she blinked her brown eyes at him, and he just stared. He didn't answer her straight away, because he was too busy trying to remember what could he have possible done to deserve this. And then, his mind started swimming through all the things he could get Rachel to sing… He could have some fun with that assignment.

"Nah… I'll just think about it for a while" he muttered.

Her smile didn't falter "Very well, and I think we should start working on this immediately. After all, we only have two weeks, and though studies have shown that the average teenager at times can feel as if one week is as long as one year, you will quickly understand that it's too little time to do everything we have to do – we are talking about three different performances here, therefore I strongly advise you to begin thinking about song choices as soon as possible. You don't have any plans later today, have you? Meet me in my house at 4 – I trust you still know the way?"

He had forgotten just how weird Rachel Berry could be.

It had been a while since the last time Puck had thrown a slushie at her. That didn't mean they were friends, though; just not enemies anymore. Seriously, it was not like he hated the chick or anything like that. He owed it to her not to hate her – after everything he had done to her the past few years she had been by his side when the whole baby drama had blown up. She was the one that had talked everyone else into not blaming everything on him. So, he had made an effort to like her. And it was pretty easy to like Rachel – until she started talking and you remember how much easier it is to just ignore her. And, well, two weeks of her talking like that? He would be surprised if they didn't decide on canonizing him after that.

As Puck tried to figure out if he could be canonized, since he was Jewish and all, Mr. Schue told them to go home to work on their numbers.

"See you later, Noah" Rachel waved as he passed her on his way out of the classroom.

"See ya, Berry" he said, not paying attention to her.

Well, he thought as he got into his truck and headed home before going to Rachel's, if he made it out alive, those two weeks would be a hell of a story to tell his grandkids about.

**A.N.:** Reviews are love.


	2. That I would be good

**Disclaimer:** Surprisingly, still not mine. Nor are the songs and lyrics mentioned here.

**A.N.:** Thank you to everyone who subscribed, marked it as favorite, and, of course, reviewed! It makes all this worthwhile.

.

Puck sighed as he rang Berry's doorbell. It was not the first time he had thought about quitting Glee club. But this time, it was not because he thought it demeaned _(how the hell did he come up with this word?)_ his image as a badass, but because he seriously didn't like the idea of spending time with Rachel.

Not that he didn't like being in her house, or her bedroom, he smirked. But the last time he was here, they didn't exactly _spend time_ together. They just made out. A lot. Spending time together would mean talking and stuff like that. And though the girl is hot (come on – it's impossible not to notice her legs in those _really_ short skirts), it's not enough to keep you from getting bored when she starts talking.

"Hello, Noah. Right on time" she smiled as she let him in. He didn't remember ever seeing her with her hair up, or wearing jeans; she looked different and comfortable.

He said nothing as he walked up the stairs to her bedroom, one hand holding his guitar, and the other one in his pocket.

It was also the first time he had seen her room like this: a mess. Not that he had been there many times (he did have some good memories, though. He still wondered how did she learn to kiss like that), but he had the impression that Rachel's room was always – just like everything she did – impeccable. Instead, there were music sheets everywhere; her bed, her desk, her chair, and all around the floor.

"What the…?"

"I'm glad you brought you guitar along, Noah. As you can see, I had a very hard time trying to find one song that feels right. Of course, I do have a list of my all time favorite songs, which as of right now consists of seventy-six items. I can tell that you are worried, but you don't need to be; not all of them are show tunes, and I think you will come to learn that I can be really eclectic where music is concerned. Anyway, I thought that in our first practice, we should focus on choosing my song for you, and that means going through many of the songs in my list. Not all of them, obviously, that would be just pointless, since I managed to narrow it down to a few finalists. I trust that your great talent with your instrument will allow you to play some of those? It'll probably be easier for you if you have the accompaniment. I have all the lyrics we'll need, so why don't you take a seat and we'll begin?"

Honestly, could someone really listen to this girl?

"Ok… Where?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Noah. Here, we can sit on the bed, let me just move these papers somewhere else." She organized the papers in a tidy pile, and turned back to him "Are you ready?"

"Sorry, what? I only heard 'we' and 'bed'" He grinned. If he had to do this for the next two weeks, the least he could do was try to get something good out of it. And for the Puckzilla, something good always meant sex.

She blushed. Classic Puck. She tried to ignore his comment and the fact that it did stir some feelings… Suddenly her mind was crowded with images of both of them in her bed, she on top of him, kissing and touching.

"Your comment was much uncalled for. We are working Noah; please try to keep that in mind. I'll sit over here just in case, but I trust something this inappropriate will not happen again" She said, and sat on the floor, her legs crossed and the music sheets on her lap.

"Suit yourself, Berry" He sat on the bed and positioned his guitar, pleased with her reaction to his words. He had noticed her blushing. "So, what you got in there for me, uh?"

She knew he wasn't talking about music, but she chose to ignore that "I thought we could start with this one" She handed him the sheet "In my opinion, it's a very well written song that just speaks for itself. It's been one of my favorites since the very first time I heard it."

He looked at the paper she gave him and was genuinely surprised "Who would've thought you're an Alanis fan, Berry?"

She smiled shyly "There are many things you don't know about me, Noah" It took her by surprise when she realized she wanted him to say that he would love to discover everything there was to know about her. But he said nothing as he adjusted his guitar and read the sheet "Do you know this one?"

"No, but it's pretty easy to play" It took him a few more moments to begin playing it, and soon he started singing it with his deep voice.

_That I would be good  
_

_Even if I did nothing  
_

_That I would be good  
_

_Even if I got the thumbs down_

"Am I singing it right?" He looked at her, but kept playing his guitar.

"Yes" she whispered "You're doing great" She loved his voice, and she had forgotten just how much.

_That I would be good  
_

_If I got and stayed sick  
_

_That I would be good  
_

_Even if I gained 10 pounds_

One or two times, he hesitated over a note or stumbled through a word, but that's because he had never heard the song before. And Rachel thought that it wasn't enough to ruin his performance.

_That I would be fine_

_Even if I went bankrupt  
_

_That I would be good  
_

_If I lost my hair and my youth_

That I would be great

_If I was no longer queen  
_

_That I would be grand  
_

_If I was not all knowing  
_

By this point, Rachel could tell he had started feeling the song. It made her smile, but she wondered if he understood what that song meant for her, and why it was one of her favorites. Hadn't it been the whole purpose of this assignment, according to Mr. Schue? So they could understand each other better? Could Noah ever understand someone like her? And would she ever be introduced to Noah, instead of the mask she was sure he wore everyday to school? _  
_

_That I would be loved  
_

_Even when I numb myself  
_

_That I would be good  
_

_Even when I am overwhelmed_

That I would be loved

_Even when I was fuming  
_

_That I would be good  
_

_Even if I was clinging_She closed her eyes and allowed his voice to wash over her. This was proving itself to be a very interesting assignment, she thought with a smile.

_That I would be good  
_

_Even if I lost sanity  
_

_That I would be good  
_

_Whether with or without you_

He finished the last note and looked at her.

"So?"

"What do you think, Noah?"

"I liked the song. But it's your choice"

"We have a few more options." She expected him to protest, but he just nodded his head.

"Alright. Let's do it" He said, and she smiled brightly "What, Berry?"

"Nothing" She had noticed something different in him. There were no sexual jokes, no hardness in his voice or his eyes. And she thought that maybe, just maybe, the real Noah was starting to come out. At that moment, she made it her mission to get him to open up to her. She had two weeks for that, and hopefully, by the end of it, they would have turned into good friends.

And, obviously, this had nothing to do with the fact that she became ten times more attracted to him when he was singing. Or that seeing him in her room had reminded her of the last time he had been there. Or even that, if she was honest with herself (and Rachel Berry always tried to be honest with everyone), she had to admit she kind of had a crush on him. Nothing to be worried about, of course, it was just a natural reaction to a very handsome guy. Nothing personal, right? And she tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach when he said her name.

"Rachel? What's the next song?" He looked at her puzzled.

"Here, Noah" she pretended she hadn't been daydreaming about him and handed him another music sheet.

"I know this one" he said, and smiled at her as he started playing.

.

Meanwhile, in Kurt's basement, the boy was desperately trying to ignore Brittany's attempts to perform the song he had chosen for her. Frustrated, he called Mercedes.

"Please tell me Mike's not doing any better than Brittany"

"We are doing fine. I think he was just afraid that my favorite song would be by Mariah Carey. What is Brittany doing?"

"What she isn't doing, you mean" Kurt answered, a hand on his forehead, pacing the floor, a few feet away from Brittany "I don't think she has ever heard of ABBA before. And _that_, my dear, is a problem."

Mercedes laughed "What's the song you gave her?"

"The Winner Takes It All"

"Kurt!" the girl shrieked "That's just mean!"

"Mr. Schue said to pick our favorites!"

"Yeah, but he also said to take in consideration who your partner is. And your partner, honey, is Brittany"

"I'm fully aware of what that means, thank you very much" he said, looking over at the blonde once again "I think I'll just have to choose something else"

"Did she choose anything for you yet?"

"No, I told her it was better to think about it some more. But I've been looking through her iPod, and I got the strange feeling that whatever she picks, is not going to look good on me"

"Chill, diva. Everything's gonna be fine. I gotta go, Mike's back from the bathroom. Call you later. Bye, hon"

"Goodbye, gorgeous" Kurt hung up and turned to Brittany "OK, let's try something different"

She smiled, relieved.

.

Tina had always been extremely shy. Her relationships in the Glee club were basically the ones with Artie, Mercedes and Kurt, and an occasional talk with Rachel. She had never really been interested in being friends with anyone else, and maybe that's why sitting next to Finn in the doorstep of her house was so awkward.

"So that's your song?" He asked, handing her iPod back to her.

She nodded. He was surprised. He had never thought she would listen to this type of songs. And the lyrics… He wondered if anyone else realized they knew nothing about Tina. If it wouldn't make her embarrassed, he would have asked what that song meant for her.

Although he had heard many times that he had "lead man material", Finn had gotten used to have someone else leading the way (he had worked a lot with Rachel, after all). But it was clear that, in between him and Tina, he was going to have to step up.

"I only have two favorite songs, you can choose in between them. I think the hardest thing is gonna be the love song"

She blushed "Y-yes. A-any id-d-deas?" She asked.

"I don't know. It's not like I listen to a lot of love songs, that's more a chick thing" He said, looking at her.

"I'm a goth" they both smiled

"We should Google it, see if we can find something" He suggested.

"Ok. W-wanna c-ome inside?" She asked.

"Sure"

He got up and they both entered her house. He couldn't help but notice she had stuttered. He knew that, although she had once admitted to fake it, the stutter still came out whenever she was nervous. He understood her – they had barely exchanged a few words during their time in Glee, and now they were talking about singing love songs to each other.

Yeah. Being in Glee club kinda made everyday a new surprise. Or something like that.

.

Santana tapped her foot impatiently. She just _had_ to get stuck with Wheels. Gay kid would have been better. This was going to be so boring. I mean, look at the boy's _hair. _He was probably gonna force her to sing Beatles or some other crap like that.

They were at his house, since hers wasn't adjusted for handicapped people. He parked in the middle of his living room, and had his laptop on his lap. She had refused to sit down and stood with her arms crossed. This was just pointless. Why didn't each of them pick a song to sing and pretend the other had chosen it?

"I'll show you the song I'd like you to sing, Santana" Artie was a bit nervous in Santana's presence. Not that he liked her, but it was the first time he had a cheerleader in his house.

"Alright, but I swear, if this is some nerdy embarrassing song, I _will_ make you sing Lady GaGa" she said.

"Okay" It was the only thing he said before hitting 'play' on his laptop.

He didn't look at her while the song played, so he missed the little smile she had on her face midway through the chorus.

"That's my favorite" He said timidly when the song ended.

"It's fine" she said, back to her usual bitching self, and crossing her arms again. "Guess I'll have to find something else for you to sing, instead of Poker Face"

He smiled.

**A.N.:**Hope you guys liked this one! Song suggestions are more than appreciated! The song Puck sings is "That I Would Be Good", by Alanis Morissette. Also, I'd like to say that many people subscribed for this story – and that made me really, really happy. But not many people reviewed, so, while I know many people are _reading_ it, I don't know how many of you are _liking_ it. I guess that's just a better way to say _"please, please, review". _Please?


	3. Sing me sweet

**Disclaimer:** I own them. Yeah. I'm having a garage sale. Puck is already taken (here by my side). But everyone else is open – who wants who?

**A.N.:**** This chapter takes exactly where the last one left off – so it's still the same day. Oh, and did everyone catch the **_**little**_** PUCKLEBERRY in this week's episode? One word: FREAKING AWESOME!**

**.**

"There's no way I'll sing that"

"But you said you knew this song!"

"Yeah, it's one of my mom's favorites. She makes me play it for her on her birthday"

"See? You can do it!" she smiled.

He looked at her pointedly and said slowly "Rachel" she loved it when he said her name – it just felt _right_ coming out of his mouth "This song is gay"

"I beg to differ!" she said, offended "Please, Noah?"

When had she started begging? This was Noah, she forced herself to remember, it wasn't like he was her friend or anything like that. Not even in front of her friends would she do such a thing as begging. The very thought made her cringe.

As she opened her mouth to revert the situation, he said "Alright, Berry. Anything to get you off my back, damn it" And before she could say a word, he sang.

_I go out walking_

_After midnight_

_Out in the moonlight_

_Just like we used to do  
_

_I'm always walking' after midnight _

_Searching for you_

"That's it, I'm not doing it"

"But, Noah…"

"You know what?" he snapped "I can totally put up with your weirdness and your being annoying while we're doing this thing, so you're_ not_ gonna drive me crazy, Berry" He still had two weeks to go with her and if he wasn't going to get into her bed, she wasn't going to get into his head. "Next one" he said, reaching his hand out to her, so she could hand him another music sheet. "Come on, Berry" he said impatiently, when she refused to look at him "I'm outta here" he sighed and got up.

"Wait, Noah!"

"I mean it, Berry. I'm not letting you get on my nerves" he said, but he sat down again, and she wordlessly gave him another song "We're doing this assignment, performing it, and then it's over. Let's just keep it simple, so no one ends up in the nuthouse"

He didn't know if he was saying it to convince her or himself. Because, truth was, he knew he wasn't going to have sex with her (something told him that it would never be _just_ sex for Rachel Berry – she was one of those girls who always wanted more). And the realization of it made the fact that he was forced to work with her much, much more unbearable.

And that's how they went from co-existing nicely not even ten minutes ago, to not standing the sight of each other now.

_Come stop your crying  
_

_It'll be alright  
_

_Just take my hand  
_

_Hold it tight  
_

_I will protect you  
_

_From all around you  
_

_I will be here  
_

_Don't you cry_

She still refused to look at him, so she kept her head down. She almost made the decision right then of choosing that song, just because it felt completely _wrong _for someone as insensitive as Puck (she thought maybe she was done with Noah) to be singing something like this.

_For one so small  
_

_You seem so strong  
_

_My arms will hold you  
_

_Keep you safe and warm  
_

_This bond between us  
_

_Can't be broken  
_

_I will be here don't you cry_

He didn't look at her either, and she couldn't help but think it was the first time that day he wasn't connecting to what he was singing.

_Cause you'll be in my heart  
_

_Yes, you'll be in my heart  
_

_From this day on  
_

_Now and forever more  
_

_You'll be in my heart  
_

_No matter what they say  
_

_You'll be here in my heart  
_

_Always_

And then she shut him out. She could see him, she could see his lips moving and his fingers playing, but she couldn't hear him. Because, for the first time since he amazed her with _Sweet Caroline_, she did not _want_ to hear him.

.

Quinn rested her head on the back of the couch and sighed tiredly as she rubbed her growing belly. Matt hadn't stopped talking since they arrived at his house nearly half an hour ago. The boy was sweet (and he had became very protective towards her since the whole baby daddy drama – which was saying much, considering they had never really been friends before), but right now, nothing she did could make her listen to what he was saying. She had only a clue as to what was bothering her.

"And they had, like, these crazy giant cups, and Puck dared Finn to drink one full of grape slushie, and you know Finn hates it because it's too cold, but he wasn't gonna back down, because then Puck would be, like, all smug and stuff…"

And then something clicked inside of her, and she knew.

"Matt, what you're saying is really interesting, trust me, but I need you to do something for me"

"Okay" he said slowly

She lifted her head up to look at him.

"Take me to drink slushies"

"What?"

"I have a craving!"

He blinked and said, confused "Aren't chicks supposed to get those in the middle of the night so their husbands or boyfriends have to go out to buy weird food?"

"Most of the times, yes, but I don't have a husband, and the boyfriend is at Tina's now, so you'll have to do it for me. Please, Matt?" She pleaded.

He thought about it for a minute and figured it was no big deal. He didn't want to practice, anyway.

But as they walked out of his house, Quinn could swear she heard Matt muttering under his breath something that sounded like "But slushies are not weird food!"

.

"So that's it?" she asked

"I'm not singing a ballad!" he said

"And why the hell not?"

"Come on, Mercedes!"

They had been arguing for half an hour over the love song they had to choose. Every suggestion Mercedes made was quickly discarded by Mike, who had yet to suggest anything.

"Alright, alright! Not a ballad, I got it. What, then?" she asked, and he stayed silent. Some partner he was.

She turned on her iPod and put it on shuffle. The first song was Mariah Carey, and the second, Jennifer Hudson. She laughed tiredly; this was no good. But the third song…

"Yo, Mike!"

"Yeah?"

"Check this out" she showed him the iPod.

"Cool" he said excitedly "We can do this one!"

"Finally" Mercedes said, relieved.

"I don't know the lyrics" he said quietly after a while. She rolled her eyes

"Mike, I'd like to introduce you to the Guy with the Answers" she joked, and turned her computer on, accessing Google. In a few minutes, she printed the lyrics and they sat on the floor to read them.

"I think we should take off this part" she said, crossing a few verses with a red pen "This line definitely has to go"

"Yeah, and maybe I could slow down this part a bit" he added

"That's good. And I think it would be nice if while I'm singing this line, you start singing this one in the background and then…"

And for the next hour, they planned their performance.

.

"Ok…"

"It's a good one, right?"

"Sure"

"Alright"

"I'm gonna print it so we can start…"

"Cool"

He sat nervously in the chair while she printed the lyrics to their love song.

"I'm glad we found something" she said as she handed him a paper.

"Right! And it's only the first day! I think we are ahead of the other like, by _miles_"

She laughed "Yeah"

They stared at the floor for a while. It was still weird doing this together.

"I think we should start" Tina said quietly

"Totally" Finn answered

They weren't absolutely sure about the song; it wasn't something they would normally choose. But they liked the lyrics, and compared to the other songs they had found… It wasn't the best they could sing, but it was the best they could come up with.

.

"Brittany, dear?" Kurt called her attention

"Yeah?"

"The song?"

"What song?"

He sighed. "Your favorite song. You said you're going to show me" he said, pointing to the speakers she had connected to her pink iPod.

"Oh" Brittany said, snapping out of her daze "Right" and pressed play.

Kurt recognized the song immediately. He thought that his incessant plea to God ("_Please, not Britney. Please, not Britney_") had worked. Thankfully.

"I never would have taken you for the cheesy romantic type" he smiled

"This is my favorite movie of all times" she answered.

"Yeah, it's a good movie"

.

She could barely contain her relief when he got up to leave. He had thought she would try to stop him, saying they still had time to go over the entire Broadway fucking songbook. But she didn't, and he was confused. When he announced he was going home, she said goodbye and that they would schedule their next practice while at school the next morning. He said ok and wondered if she was going to see him out the door. When she didn't move from her spot on the floor, he turned his back on her and left. She only moved when she heard his car driving off.

Suddenly, she smiled. Her smiled turned into a laugh. And only when she was on the verge of turning hysterical did she realize why she was laughing. It was because it didn't matter – he didn't matter. She didn't need him, she didn't want him, she wasn't in love with him. If he wanted to hate her, fine (although she hoped it didn't mean any more slushie facials – she had finally stopped taking extra clothes to school). They would work together, but they wouldn't be friends. And she loved knowing that Noah (or Puck, or whatever it was that she was calling him now) couldn't affect her, couldn't upset her anymore. She was her own woman. She had always been, and that was not gonna change now.

Knowing that her fathers would be home soon, she went downstairs to get dinner started. As she moved around the kitchen, she sang the first thing that cam to mind.

_He is a good time cowboy Casanova_

_Leaning up against the record machine_

_He looks like a cool drink of water_

_But he's candy-coated misery_

_He is the devil in disguise_

_A snake with blue eyes_

_And he only comes out at night_

_Gives you feelings that you don't wanna fight_

_You better run for your life._

**.**

**A.N.: **Sorry it took me so long to update this story. And once again, thank you to everyone who reviewed and subscribed. I would like a few more reviews for this chapter, to help the next one come around a bit faster, maybe? Song suggestions, you already know, are more than welcome. The songs used here are: Walking After Midnight (Patsy Cline), You'll Be in My Heart (Phil Collins), and Cowboy Casanova (Carrie Underwood).


	4. Holding loose

**Disclaimer: **I own all of them, except for Mike (who belongs to mag721), and Jesse (property of Dasey-Naleyfan14). Also, I'd like to ask you not to take those disclaimers seriously. I mean, it's not like I'm Ryan Murphy or anything. Right?

**A.N.: **As always, a huge thank you to everyone who subscribed, added to favorites, and, of course, reviewed (Ariel C. Rilmonn, ReadyMadePhotographer., Serendipity-shadowcat, Weefeesmum, dimitri'srealrose, GingerGleek, namelessanomoly, mamby-pamby boo-hooing, famefan, Addicted to Everything, daria103, sweetcaroline1986, Jessica, DaphAndMe , bookworm1617, Dasey-Naleyfan14, .SeDuCtIvE, mag721, MsBadGirl, Gikkal, tjcrowfoot, mythologyrulz, mbtastic, Just-Hazel-Eyes123, twighlightangel61090)

.

"So, who's got what?" Mercedes asked Kurt and Rachel as they walked down the school halls the next morning.

"Well, Brittany and I have, surprisingly, her song" Kurt answered "You and Mike?"

"The love song!" she said, excitedly "What about you, Rachel?"

"Nothing" she whispered, her head down

"What?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! We don't have my song, we certainly don't have Noah's, and I haven't even thought about the duet!" Rachel answered, nervous with the idea that her friends were ahead of her; she wasn't used to that.

"Gee, Rachel, chill" said Mercedes "It's only been a day. We got time, relax"

"Of course" She didn't want to let them see how worried she was about the assignment. She was positive Noah (yes, she was back to calling him Noah. Puck sounded horrible, and, well, Noah _was _his name) would do his best to not cooperate, which would probably make things more difficult for her. But, as everything else Rachel Berry had ever done in her life, this performance would be nothing short of perfect. Even if she had to do it all by herself, and the only thing Noah would have to do was showing up in the auditorium on the day of the presentation.

Throughout the day, she heard Tina and Finn already had the love song _and _her song, but it was only when Kurt told her Santana and Artie had chosen his song, that she truly panicked. _Santana and Artie_ were getting along, for Barbra's sake! She needed to get something done, and fast, so she could get rid of the horrible sensation in the pit of her stomach that had been tormenting her since she woke up.

By the end of the last period, as she marched through the halls headed to her locker, she was determined to force Noah Puckerman to work his carefully shaped ridiculous Mohawk off trying to find a song. In two days from now, she told herself, they would have chosen two songs, at least. Or her name wasn't Rachel Future Star Berry.

As she opened her locker, a piece of paper fell to the floor. It was a note.

_5, Dairy Queen_

_Puck._

Rachel rolled her eyes at his lack of wording, but smiled.

.

_Maybe I need some rehab, or maybe just need some sleep  
_

_I got a sick obsession, I'm seeing it in my dreams_

She sang, moving around his living room

**I'm looking down every alley, I'm making us desperate 'cause  
**

**I'm staying up all night hoping and hitting my head against the wall**

He took over, and then their voices joined each other for the next part.

_**What you got it's hard to find  
**_

_**I think about it all the time  
**_

_**I'm all strung out, my heart is fried  
**_

_**I just can't get…**_

"Stop!" she said suddenly

"Oh, come on! What's it now? This is like, the hundredth time you stop us!"

"It won't work"

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't feel right. The song doesn't feel right"

He rolled his eyes. He was no good at code-chick-talk "It doesn't need to feel right. We just need to get up there and sing it."

"We can't sing a song without being sure about it!"

"Mercedes" he said, trying to be patient. He had a little sister, which meant most of the times he knew how to deal with women _and_ kids; he thought this ability would really come in handy now "Nothing is wrong with this song. Let's stick to it, alright? Besides, I get to show off my moves"

She sighed. "But Mike, I won't enjoy myself if we sing this song. You don't want that, do you?" she battled her eyelashes at him in a comical way.

He sat on the couch and closed his eyes "We finally, finally find a song, and you don't _feel_ it's right. Alright, Mercedes, alright. Whatever you want, we'll do"

She sat next to him and smiled "Thank you, Mike! And I promise I'll find something that you can show your moves off to"

He nodded. Seriously, it was _so _much easier to give in than to put up a fight with a girl. He suddenly felt sorry for all the married men on the planet.

.

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. She had been waiting for him for ten minutes. And she was not very fond of waiting on _anyone._

And _he _had set up the meeting, after all. He was supposed to show up _first. _Did he not understand the proper manners to follow when asking a girl out on a date? _Not that this is a date,_ she reminded herself, _in fact, this isn't anywhere near a date._

In any case, he was going to get an earful when he showed up.

When he finally decided to make his presence known, she had already finished the sundae she had ordered. And she never, never indulged in something as damaging to her vocal chords as ice-cream. It was a sign she was really, really pissed off.

"Noah, you are exactly 17 minutes late"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever" he said, and sat down in front of her.

She watched as he opened his backpack and took out some papers. It did not go unnoticed by her that they were neatly filed in a folder. It almost made her smile.

"Alright, here's my song" he said, and handed her the lyrics.

"Really?" she asked, surprised with both his choice of song and his commitment to the assignment.

"Yeah. What?"

"Nothing. It's just… it surprised me, that's all" she said in a whisper.

He looked away, pretending he was searching for a waiter. He would never tell her (or anyone else, because he liked being a stud very much, thanks), but the song he gave her was not his favorite. His favorite was, in fact, Sweet Caroline. Yeah, like _that_ piece of information was ever coming out. So what, his favorite song was a very cheesy one? And so what, he once sang it to a girl to keep her from breaking up with him? He groaned, and almost looked down to see if he had grown a vagina.

In front of him, Rachel was whispering the lyrics, and looked as if she would burst out singing at any moment.

Knowing her, that's probably what would happen.

He picked up the menu from his table and hid his face behind it.

_Very, very long two weeks, my friend_, he thought with a sigh.

.

He connected his iPod to its speakers and put it on shuffle.

_Well you done done me and you bet I felt it  
_

_I tried to be chill but you were so hot that I melted_

"Too obvious. Next" she said

He skipped the song.

_I'd be lying through my teeth if I told you _

_That I'm okay_

_July came, I thought I had it__ all together_

_Until you said, I need some space_

"What is this? Next, please"

_I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing_

_Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in_

_I got time while she got freedom_

_And when a heart breaks, no it don't breakeven_

"No! Next"

"Santana, we're not going to find anything like this"

"Do you have any other idea, Wheels?" she crossed her arms.

"I'd appreciate if you would stop calling me that" he said, looking down.

She sighed. "Alright, _Artie_. Do you have any suggestion of a love song?"

He looked around and got lost in his mind for a few minutes. "No" he said finally.

"Great" she said, flopping down on his couch. "Gimme that" she pointed to the remote that was on the table near his chair.

He handed it to her "We should be working on this, not watching TV"

"Oh, shut up, Artie. Who knows, we might end up finding a song in a movie, or something" Santana turned the TV on and put the remote down.

"Yeah, riiiiiight. Like _that's_ gonna happen" Artie laughed.

When she turned on the TV, a movie was playing on HBO.

The Sound of Music.

_Damn_.

.

A.N.: I'm so sorry for the delay, but I've been so busy! I didn't like this chapter very much (I wrote in such a short time – I was desperate to post something and let you guys know I haven't given up on this story) and I promise the next one will be so much better! Please review! Oh, and the songs used here are: Your Love Is My Drug, by Kesha (big thanks to Dasey-Naleyfan14), and the beginnings of I'm Yours, by Jason Mraz, 5:19 by Matt Wertz and Breakeven by The Script. Constructive criticism is always, always welcome!


	5. Hold on

**Disclaimer:** Still mine. Or not. Whatever.

**A.N.:** And this is Day 3. Thank you to everyone who subscribed, marked as favorite, and reviewed! (everyone from last chapter, plus mag721, CrayonsPink, aclassicistkitten, Dasey-Naleyfan14, GleeFreak-VampireChik, Just-Hazel-Eyes123, aussietasha, twighlightangel61090)

.

He knocked on the glass door.

"Hey" he said when she looked up.

"Hello" she answered formally and looked back down, continuing to work.

He sighed, and not waiting to be invited, walked into her office and sat down on one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"Emma, I…" he started, but she interrupted.

"Look, Will, I don't have time to talk right now. As you can see, I have a lot of work to do"

They stayed in silence for a few moments, during which she did not look at him once.

"I just want to fix things between us, Emma"

Her head kept saying it was too late, but her heart, as it always happens, said something different.

"Not now, Will. We are at work"

"Alright. How about dinner?"

"What?" she looked up confused.

"Tomorrow night. We can have dinner at my place"

"Will, I don't think…"

On an impulse, he grabbed her hand that was resting on top of her desk and squeezed it. "Come on, Emma. It's just dinner. It will give us a chance to talk, sort things out"

"I don't know if I'll be available tomorrow night" They both knew it was a lie. She took her hand away from his grasp.

"We can do it any other night" He rested back on the chair with a sad look in his eyes "Please, Emma. I know I screwed up badly. But give me one more chance. Let me explain everything. I'm not asking you to forgive me just yet, but to hear me out. Please?"

She looked deep into his eyes and saw his regret, his sadness and his pain. But a little voice inside her head warned her that nothing was stopping him from hurting her again.

But would he? It was Will she was talking about. For a long time, he had been her most trusted friend. Would he deliberately do something to cause her pain?

"_It happened once, it can happen again" _her conscience told her.

"I'll be there at seven" she finally said.

He smiled and got up to leave. When he reached the door, he looked back at her and whispered:

"Thank you"

.

_Dear Diary,_

_For three days now, I haven't come across any members of that disgusting glee club. Surprisingly, I haven't seen William, either._

_Has God decided to make my wildest dream come true and got rid of all those losers?_

_I don't think so. It would be too good to be true. If I want to destroy them, I'll have to use my own hands. I have learned long ago that it's no good to wait on other people if you want something done._

_But truth is, Diary, although I hate to admit it, I don't know what to do anymore. Yes, that's right, Sue Sylvester is clueless. I have tried everything to turn glee club into dust, but nothing has worked so far. Somehow, those annoying brats always find a way to overcome every single obstacle I carefully and thoughtfully put in their path._

_But don't you worry, Diary. I will not rest until I see tears of defeat roll down William Schuester's face._

_I will do whatever it takes._

.

"Hey, Quinn!"

She turned around, and bumped into a football player.

"Watch it, preggo" the boy said, walking away.

"Want me to go after him?" Matt asked as he caught up with her.

"No, that's okay" she smiled. It was still hard not to be the queen of the school anymore, but she was getting used to it, little by little.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure, Matt" she laughed.

"Ok. I was thinking maybe you and me could start work on the assignment for real. I mean, it didn't really work the other day, did it?"

"No, it didn't" they started walking together down the hall to their next classes.

"I got a few ideas already"

"I have some too"

"Great. We can go to my house. Is 4 ok?"

"It's fine. I'll be there"

"Alright. See ya, Quinn"

"Bye, Matt"

She walked into her Spanish class and he continued on. The room was empty, except for Rachel, who was sitting in the last row. She didn't look at Quinn, who couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong. Rachel always sat in the first row in every class.

Quinn put her books down in her usual chair, but didn't sit down. She was thinking whether she should ask Rachel what happened, or just ignore her, as she used to do. However, Quinn was pulled out of her thoughts by the other girl's voice.

"How do you do it, Quinn?" Rachel's voice was barely audible.

"What do you mean?"

"How do you cope with being laughed at, and with people talking about you behind your back all the time?"

Quinn slowly made her way to where Rachel sat, and turned the chair in front of her around, so they could be face to face.

"Everyday I say to myself that I have to be strong for one day, one more day only" Quinn said softly.

"You make it sound so easy" Rachel smiled sadly and looked up at the girl. Quinn noticed she had been crying.

"I think you know it's not. But we have to go on. I wake up in the morning, and go to bed at night. In the meantime, I try to survive the best way I can"

"I've been doing that for the past few years"

"And I just now learned how to do it. We're on the same boat now, Berry, whatever that means" Quinn smiled and held Rachel's hand.

They looked at each other, and both were thinking the same thing: How could they so quickly go from mortal enemies to what they were now?

"What happened?" Quinn asked.

"Some boy threw a slushie at me" Rachel sighed "I know I should be used to that by now, since it happens almost everyday, but I can't bring myself not to be upset by it"

"You should not accept it, Rachel. Those boys don't have a right to mock you."

"There's nothing I can do"

Quinn stayed silent for a moment. She knew Rachel was right; there was nothing she could do to stop being the laughing stock of the school, just as there was nothing Quinn could do to stop the mean comments that spread around every time she walked by.

"Look, Rachel, I'm not so good in giving advice, but if there's one thing I learned with this pregnancy, is that things can change when you least expect them to, for better or for worse. Whatever happens, you have to hold on to the good things in your life, or you'll go insane."

"What did you hold on to?"

It was the most personal question anyone could ask her, Quinn thought. "My family was not an option. The only thing I have left now is Glee club and the people in it" She smiled.

"How's that working out for you?"

"Terribly"

They both laughed. Rachel was thankful for Quinn having changed so much.

"Rachel, as long as you focus on the good things you have, it'll get better, I promise"

Rachel dried the remaining tears on her cheeks and smiled. They did not need any more words to know that everything had changed in between them.

Quinn got up and walked to where she had put her things earlier, picked them up, and walked back to Rachel, giving up her usual seat (right in the middle of the room – not too much to the back, so Mr. Schue wouldn't think she wasn't interested in the class, and not too much in the front, so she would be covered if she wanted to do something else during class, like a crossword puzzle or something – not that she ever did _that_) to sit beside the other girl.

As she sat down and Rachel smiled at her full of gratitude, Quinn knew she had just discovered what song she would like Matt to sing for the Glee club assignment.

"Good morning" Mr. Schue walked in and dropped his things on his desk.

"Morning, Mr. Schue" both girls said.

The professor looked around to see if they were alone. Then he walked up closer to where the girls were – noticing and being surprised by the fact that they were together – and said hesitantly:

"Girls, I need your help"

Rachel and Quinn looked at each other then back at Mr. Schue, who seemed nervous.

"How do I say I'm sorry to a woman I really care about?" he asked, and knew they understood what he was talking about.

The girls smiled wickedly. This was going to be _fun_.

.

"Brittany, you know your song is originally a duet, right?"

Kurt caught up with the blonde as soon as Spanish class was over. Both had noticed Quinn and Rachel whispering and laughing in the back during the whole period, and, although everyone else seemed to think it was the strangest thing in the world, the glee club members knew that that kind of bonding was becoming something common in their group.

"Yes" the girl answered innocently, and continued walking to her locker.

"And you don't think that's a problem?"

"Kurt, Mr. Schue said to pick our favorites. That's my only favorite" she looked at him apologetically.

"Alright. But I'll probably have to change a few things."

"That's ok" she smiled sweetly. Kurt smiled back and was turning to leave when she said "Kurt, are you going to the party?"

"What party?" he asked, interested.

"Brian, this guy from the football team I've been kissing _again, _is having a big party tomorrow night at his house. He told me not to invite any losers, but he didn't say anything about glee club"

Kurt didn't remind her that the losers _were_ the glee club.

"Thank you, Brittany. I'll spread the word" he said, and walked away, taking his phone out of his pocket and dialing Mercedes' number. "Diva" he said when she picked up "Get ready. We're taking the Prada out of the closet"

As he chatted, he passed by Rachel, who was walking to her next class.

Thanks to Quinn's jokes and their attempts to draw out a course of action that would take Mr. Schue right into Ms. Pilsbury good graces again, she was feeling much better than when the class started. She had even a hint of a smile on her face.

But that little smile faded like a lamp burning when she saw Puck.

That wouldn't have happened had he been alone.

Whispering on his ear, in the most suggestive way possible, was a blonde cheerleader with a flirtatious smile on her face.

The girl was beautiful, and it shouldn't have surprised Rachel when soon she and Puck had their tongues intertwined, showing off their lip lock as if they _wanted_ people to stop and stare.

Rachel did not understand immediately what came over her that moment, but whatever it was, it caused her to turn around and run to the bathroom.

Thankfully, it was empty. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she knew what had caused her to run. But she did not want to admit it was jealousy.

What did that mean?, she asked herself. Was she in love with Noah Puckerman? Was that even _possible_? Did the fact that, when she saw him kissing the cheerleader, she remembered him kissing_ her_ in her bed, mean anything? Should she be worried that she _missed _his lips on her?

Tears threatened to roll down her face for the second time that day, and she cursed herself for being so vulnerable.

She was not in love, she told herself over and over again.

But what if she was_? Noah Puckerman, of all the people in the world? You are crazy, Berry._

What good could come out of this? She was so tired of being hurt.

A single tear fell from her eyes as she started singing quietly to herself.

_I've had love and love's had me  
_

_I've been held and been set free  
_

_And I have lived enough to know  
_

_That you might stay or you might go  
_

_So here I am, one more time  
_

_Call me brave, call me blind_

I'm gonna count to three

_I'm gonna hold my breath  
_

_Try not to be afraid,  
_

_Though it scares me half to death  
_

_I'm out here on a limb  
_

_Although I know that it might break  
_

_My heart is gonna want you anyway  
_

_And if this love has any chance at all  
_

_Someone's gotta be the first to fall_

She could not stop the tears anymore.

**A.N.: **I think this story might end up being longer than I expected. Anyway, the song is The First to Fall, by Terri Clark. Constructive criticism, song suggestions and any kind of feedback is always welcome. I have noticed that many people are subscribing but not reviewing. Thinking of those who don't review because they don't know what to say, I've created two standards review lines. You can copy and paste the one you feel fits your opinion better. Option 1 – I liked it. Good job!, Option 2 – I didn't like it. What the hell are you doing?.


	6. Wine and dine

Disclaimer: Really, it's amazing how they are still NOT mine.

A.N.: Hey! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update this – I promise it won't happen again! Thank you for waiting! And also, thank you to everyone who marked it as favorite, subscribed, and reviewed! You make my world go round!

x

_Dear Diary,_

_It seems the world is coming to a__n end today. As I walked down the halls earlier this morning, carefully trying to avoid coming into physical contact with any of the school inhabitants – most do not deserve to be called students -, I witnessed a scene that is now burned into my mind for the rest of eternity: Santana Lopez discussing what appeared to me to be a very serious matter with the Kid in the Wheelchair, whose name I do not know and do not care enough to find out._

_The sour taste of betrayal itches the back of my throat and I am suddenly filled with the urge to make William Schuester weep. Had it not been for him and his obscenely homosexual hair style, my cheerios would have never been tempted to transform themselves into one of those socially awkward and mentally imperfect kids._

_But there is yet to come forward the person who has enough potential to outsmart Sue Sylvester. And if this person indeed exists, it is certainly not a Spanish teacher who bursts into song at any given moment, and who has terribly curly hair that indicates his love and appreciation for the lesbian community._

x

"Noah?" she called.

He didn't turn around.

"Excuse me, Noah. I need to talk to you" she tapped her foot impatiently.

"What, Berry?" he closed his locker door that had been hiding his face from her view.

"It's about our glee club assignment" she said.

"Yeah, I figured" he started walking away and she had to rush to keep up with him.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'll be making some changes to the song you chose. I have been listening to it and I feel it would be more enjoyable as a show choir performance if it's more modern. I mean, look at what we did with 'Don't Stop Believing', and…"

He interrupted her. It was too early in the morning for Rachel-talk. "Alright, alright. Do whatever you wanna do, it's not like I give a damn, anyway"

"So I take it you're giving me a free pass to do what I need in order to improve the quality of this performance?" she smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever that means" he stopped and turned around to face her, to make sure she heard what he said next "Just don't turn it into a chick song"

"What do you mean, Noah?"

He sighed. _Patience, patience_. "I gave you a bad ass song. If you sing a pop song…" he trailed off, hoping she would catch the meaning.

"Oh. Let me assure you I do not intend to change it drastically, for it would surely lose its meaning to you almost completely. After all, it's your favorite because you like it just the way it is, right?" her eyes twinkled and for a moment he thought she was a normal person.

He stopped paying attention to her when a cheerio – the same one that he had been kissing the day before, Rachel noted – walked by and his eyes followed her ass as her hips swayed. He smirked and went after her, completely ignoring Rachel, who tried to perform one of her famous storm outs. It didn't occur to her until much later that day that her storm out had had not effect whatsoever, since no one had been really looking at her at the time.

x

Quinn walked into the Spanish classroom to basically the same sight that had greeted her the day before: the room was empty except for Rachel Berry, who again was sitting in the last row, but this time, with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Quinn. I saved you a seat" she said happily, indicating the chair beside her.

"Ok, Berry, here's the deal" Quinn sat in her usual seat in the middle row and turned around in her chair to face Rachel. "Those pregnancy hormones are messing with my head. Half the time I can't recognize myself. Sometimes I have moments of extreme generosity and I have no idea where they came from. Yesterday was one of those. That doesn't mean we're friends"

Rachel looked down. Quinn Fabray being friends with Rachel Berry was unthinkable; she should've known. But Quinn had been so nice yesterday… it seemed it hadn't lasted for long. But, she thought, even though Quinn tried to blame her change on behavior on the pregnancy, Rachel knew it wasn't the case. Quinn had changed a lot, and maybe she was just afraid to admit it.

"Very well" Rachel put her chin up and looked at Quinn, determined not to let the girl see how hurt she had been at Quinn's words "Do you think we can put out differences aside to help Mr. Schuester?"

Quinn thought about it. She owed it to Mr. Schue to help him in whatever he needed – after all, he had forgiven her for giving his wife a hand in ruining their marriage. "Yeah" she said.

"Great" Rachel got up from the chair and walked to the first row, placing her books on one of the desks. Just as she was sitting down, she changed her mind and picked up her books, this time dropping them on a chair in the second row, right in front of Quinn. Quinn looked at the other girl strangely, but said nothing as the door opened and the room was suddenly filled with people.

x

"I'm not really sure about this"

"Tina" Artie said patiently "What's the problem? Brittany invited us, and the host is her boyfriend, or at least I think he is"

"But Artie… we're the _glee club_" she whispered.

"And we'll all go together, so no one can do anything to us" Kurt patted her arm.

"Still, I…"

"Now that's enough, Tina" said Mercedes "Me, Kurt and Artie are going. Are you in or out?"

Tina hesitated, but then nodded slightly.

"Great" said Kurt "Now, let's tell Rachel"

"Rachel?" shrieked Mercedes "Rachel Berry? Seriously?"

"Yes. Why not?" Kurt smiled at his friends "Oh, darlings, we are going to have fun with this!"

x

"Quinn! Come on, we're gonna be late!"

She angrily answered from upstairs "Do you know how hard it is to find something that fits and doesn't make me look _more_ pregnant?"

"How can you look more pregnant?" Finn crunched up his face in concentration.

"What are you trying to say?" her face appeared on the top of the stairs.

"Nothing!" answered Finn quickly, forgetting how his pregnant girlfriend could understand every little thing he said as an offense "You look fine" he added as she started descending the stairs "Let's go"

"I look fine? That's all you have to say? I look fine? I'm your girlfriend, I'm pregnant, I just spent two hours trying to find something to wear to a party I don't even _wanna_ go to, and all you can say I that I look _fine_?" she screamed, tugging on her light blue floral dress as if she wanted to take it off.

He rolled his eyes and wordlessly took her by the hand, leading her to the front porch. Once they were outside, she started her ranting again. He kissed her, opening the door so she could get in the car.

x

He looked around nervously, making sure everything was exactly where it should be. Candles, table set for two, the stereo with the song selection Quinn and Rachel had helped him with, and the gift he would give her when dinner was over. He tried to relax, but couldn't. What if she didn't show up? What if she decided he wasn't worth the trouble? There was always the chance that she had met someone else, that she had moved on.

He sighed as he looked at the clock; it was already ten past seven, and Emma was never late. He tried to stop thinking about the worst, but failed miserably. Just as he was about to sit down on the couch to drown himself in self-pity, the doorbell rang.

He didn't think as he ran to the door "Good evening, Will" she smiled shyly.

"Good evening, Emma" his smile was a relieved one "Please, come in"

She walked into his living room and the first thing she saw was the round table near the window, covered with a white tablecloth and with two chairs, on opposite sides.

He walked around her to the table, taking out one of the chairs and motioned for her to sit down. She did so nervously, all the time aware of his presence behind her.

"Don't worry" he leaned in to whisper in her ear "Everything's perfectly clean. I double checked it"

She shivered. It was like music to her ears.

He went into the kitchen to get the food and on his way stopped by the stereo near the TV and turned it on. A very low music drifted from the speakers.

_I've got a crush on you, my sweetie pie.__  
_

_All the day and night-time, hear me sigh__  
_

_I never had the least notion__  
_

_That I could fall with so much emotion_

Her eyes widened as she heard the first words. How did he know it was one of her favorite songs? But as he came back from the kitchen carrying a silver tray, she remembered. He was Will; what _didn't _he know about her?

_Could you coo?__  
_

_Could you care__  
_

_For a cunning cottage we could share?__  
_

He put a plateful of pasta in front of her before sitting down with his own plate. He knew she didn't drink wine – it gave her allergies; she wouldn't be able to stop sneezing – so he had left a bottle of grape juice in a bowl of ice near the table. He poured it in wine glasses for both of them. She smiled.

_The world will pardon my mush__  
_

_'Cause I have got a crush, my baby, on you_

x

"Come on!" he honked his horn.

"We're gonna be late, Berry!" Mercedes screamed from the passenger seat.

"I'm going, _I am going_" Rachel shouted from her porch as she closed the door to her house.

Kurt honked again just for the fun of seeing Rachel jump, startled. She got into the back of the car and greeted Tina and Artie – who was safely strapped on beside Tina, with his wheelchair on the truck of Kurt's car – and formally said hello to the pilot and the co-pilot, letting them know she didn't appreciate being rushed.

"What are you waiting for?" Mercedes said to Kurt "Let's go!"

x

They arrived at the party ten minutes later. The house was already full; the music and loud chatter could be heard from down the street.

The group entered the house – after spending a good fifteen minutes to put Artie back in his wheelchair; Rachel had sworn she was opening the chair in the right way, while Artie's protests were silenced by Kurt, who kept saying they should just see how the whole thing turned out, while smirking at Rachel – and were soon spotted by Brittany, who waved and walked their way, smiling.

"Hey, Brit!" Kurt, who seemed to have developed a close friendship to the girl due to the glee club assignment, greeted.

"Hey, Kurt! Hey, guys!" she raised her paper cup "Got your drinks yet?"

"We just got here" Kurt screamed over the loud music.

"Are you having fun, Brittany?" Mercedes asked.

The blonde thought for a minute before answering "I don't know. I don't really have an opinion when Santana's not around" and left, dazedly.

They laughed. Rachel scanned around the crowd. Yeah, she knew basically everyone. Half of them had once thrown a slushie at her. The other half just ignored her daily. It was going to be a fun, fun night; she couldn't remember why she had agreed to come in the first place. She spotted Noah, leaning against a wall near the stairs, looking bad ass even if he was just chatting with another guy. She wondered if she should talk to him. He surely wouldn't want to talk to her in front of his friends, would he? But she could always use the excuse of their working together. She looked back at her friends; they were already walking away to 'mingle', and she was still in front of the door, looking stupidly at Noah. It wasn't until she almost got knocked over a couple who were coming in, that she decided to move. Just then, another song started.

_The moon was shinin' on the lake that night._

_The Slayer t-shirt fit the scene just right.__  
_

_Through smeared mascara, I looked into your eyes and saw a light.__  
_

_You told me stories about your chickadees__  
_

_They didn't like BB guns or stupid archery.__  
_

_The jumbo lifeguard, he let them use the pool all day for free._

She smiled resolutely as she started walking to where he was. She would maybe just pass him by and say 'hi'. She wouldn't even stop to chat. Well, if he wanted her to stay, she would. But there was nothing wrong in talking to him; what was she afraid of? Besides, she truly believed music played a major life role in one's life. She knew that song that had just started playing, and knew what it would say next. So, why not just follow the lyrics, as she did in every other music-filled moment that presented itself in her life?

_Then the conversation stopped and I looked down at my feet.__  
_

_I was next to you and you were right there next to __me.__  
_

_Then I said, Girl, if you're wondering if I want you to, I want you to.__  
_

_So make the move, cause I ain't got all night._

Her heart started beating faster as she came closer to him; he hadn't noticed her yet, but there were already butterflies in her stomach. She felt light headed, then cursed herself for being so silly. It was just Noah, for Barbra's sake. She had talked to him countless times before, what would be different now?

_The rest of the summer was the best we ever had._

_We watched Titanic and it didn't make us sad.__  
_

_I took you to Best Buy, you took me home to meet your mom and dad.__  
_

_Your mom cooked meatloaf even though I don't eat __meat.__  
_

_I dug you so much I took some for the team.__  
_

_Your dad was silent. His eyes were fixed to what was on TV._

She suddenly stopped. She realized she didn't want this to be like any other time they had spoken. Maybe she had, unconsciously, hoped that, since they were not in school environment, he would not see her as a loser he used to make fun of constantly, but as a girl. A girl he could… you know, kiss. Not that he hadn't kissed her before; but he surely could do it again. Wasn't it what boys and girls did at parties like this?

"Hey" she was startled out of her daydream by his voice.

"Hello, Noah" she said shyly. He motioned for her to come closer – there were a few people standing in between them – and she did.

"Want some?" he offered her the beer he was drinking.

"No, thank you"

They stayed in silence, pretending it wasn't an awkward one.

_Then the conversation stopped and I looked down at the ring._

_Your folks were next to you and you were right there next to me._

_Then I said, Girl, if you're wondering if I want you to, I want you to.__  
_

_I swear it's true. Without you, my heart is blue.__  
_

_Girl, if you're wondering if I want you to, I want you to.__  
_

_So make a move, cause I ain't got all night._

A guy passed by them and high-fived Noah, then mouthed 'what the hell?', nodding towards Rachel. Noah just rolled his eyes at his friend, indicating he didn't think it was lame to be seen with her, and Rachel couldn't help but allow a tiny smile to creep up on her face.

x

A.N.: Ok, I know I kinda left you guys hanging in there, but I promise I'll give you both Will and Emma's dinner and the party in detail in the next chapter. Oh, and thank you so much for everyone who talked about Sue's dairy in the last chapter – here it is again, I tried to take in all your advice. Did it work? And about Quinn, once again you all were right, so I tried to make amends on this chapter. Constructive criticism is more than welcome, as always, as well as song suggestions. The ones used here are I've Got a Crush on You (my favorite version is Michael Bublé's) and (If you're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want you To, by Weezer.


End file.
